Report: NFL Asking Performers to Pay for Super Bowl Appearance

An insider says the National Football League wants to set #newrules for its annual championship game. Word is the NFL is asking performers if they'd "consider contributing" revenue for an appearance at the 2015 Super Bowl.

According to Complex, the candidates for Super Bowl XLIX include Rihanna, Coldplay and Katy Perry. A request to one of them went along the lines of wondering if they would ante up with "post-show tour revenue, or make another type of financial contribution." The reaction, the source says, was not in the League's favor.

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world. It's become a de facto holiday (Super Bowl Sunday) and has landed at the top slot for most-watched program (sports or otherwise) in the U.S. four times in the past five years.

The 2014 game had a history-making halftime show from Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their performance brought in more viewers than the actual face-off between the Seahawks and the Broncos, and with an average audience of 111.5 million, made the entire event the most-watched American television program ever.

Just as the performers boost ratings, the League apparently figures, the game gives a platform for artists to boost their own popularity (and tour ticket sales) worldwide. This logic is also behind the contention between the League and past performances from M.I.A. and Janet Jackson andJustin Timberlake.

Previously, performers (also including the likes of lights-out-Beyoncé) have appeared for free.

Super Bowl XLIX is slated to take place at the University of Phoenix Stadium at Glendale, Ariz. Feb. 1.

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